1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to devices for soothing, comforting, calming, pacifying, and/or quieting a crying, upset, or otherwise fussing infant and more particularly, to devices that simulate the sound and vibration of a moving vehicle for the purposes of soothing, comforting, calming, pacifying, and/or quieting an infant.
2. Description of the Related Art
New parents discovered long ago that soothing a crying, upset, or otherwise fussing infant can be a difficult problem. A common and effective solution is to secure the infant in its infant vehicle seat and take the infant for a ride in a vehicle. The security of the infant vehicle seat, together with the vibration and sounds of the engine and road, soothe, comfort, calm, pacify, and/or quiet the infant. In some cases, the infant is lulled to sleep quickly and effectively.
Many modern infant vehicle seats include two components: a base and a seat. The base and seat are completely separable allowing the seat to be detached from the base and carried with the infant seated therein while the base portion remains installed within the vehicle. Many owners of infant vehicle seats install the base portion into their vehicle and rarely remove the base choosing instead to detach the carrier portion. Generally, the seat or carrier portion of the infant vehicle seat will include a handle to facilitate carrying. Alternatively, some infant vehicle seats are designed to be completely removed from the vehicle and serve as an infant carrier. Therefore, for many infants, their infant vehicle seat is also their infant carrier. These infants may be very familiar with and comfortable in their infant vehicle seats.
Devices for soothing and/or pacifying infants currently available in the marketplace include baby swings, rocking bassinets, and vibrating bouncer seats. All of these prior art devices include an attached or integrated infant seat. This feature has several drawbacks. In particular, the infant must be placed in an unfamiliar seat and, in some cases, removed from the seat he/she currently occupies. In many cases, that seat is the infant carrier portion of his/her infant vehicle seat. Further, manufacturing costs of the prior art devices are increased by the fabrication costs associated with the attached or integrated seat.
Many of the prior art devices employ a small speaker for producing sound and a separate mechanical shaker device to produce vibration. The moving mechanical components are subjected to operational wear and tear and consequently may require replacement as a result of repeated use.
Therefore a need exists for methods and devices for soothing an infant that utilize the carrier portion of the infant's infant vehicle seat instead of incorporating a new and unfamiliar infant seat. A need also exists for methods and devices that provide the soothing benefits of a ride in a moving vehicle without requiring a caregiver to leave the comfort and safety of home. A further need exists for methods and devices that provide a more realistic simulation of the interior environment of a moving vehicle. A need also exists for more convenient, safer, and less costly devices and methods for soothing, comforting, calming, pacifying, and/or quieting a crying, upset, or otherwise fussing infant.